OSI-owned Marion River Carry Added to State Forest Preserve

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OSI’s protection of celebrated "carry" played key role in ending dispute of contested properties within Township 40, Raquette Lake

LONG LAKE, NY — The Open Space Institute’s Marion River Carry property is now officially part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. The newly transferred property includes a popular canoe carry and hundreds of acres of pristine Adirondack forest, which OSI acquired 2012.

The transfer of the Marion River Carry property allows the State to resolve a more than 100-year-old dispute with residents within Township 40 areas of Raquette Lake.

For nearly a century, paddlers traveling between Utowana and Raquette
Lakes have used the “Marion River Carry” to portage their boats around
an impassable stretch of the Marion River. Now, the 295-acre property
once threatened by development will remain accessible to the public. To
successfully protect the popular recreation destination, OSI contributed
$1.3 million toward the project.

“The permanent conservation of the Marion Carry and the wilderness
surrounding it will help preserve the region’s recreational legacy and
distinct Adirondack character,” said Kim Elliman, OSI’s president and
CEO. “We commend the State and the scores of stakeholders and partners
who came together to reach a resolution that will serve the public and
expand recreational access in this spectacular corner of New York
State.”

“This is the final chapter of a complicated legal dispute that has
simmered for more than 100 years. Today, my signature clears the way for
the affected landowners to be free of the State’s claim to lands that
in many cases have been privately occupied for more than a century,”
said Commissioner Seggos. “Thanks to this settlement, the spectacular
Marion River Carry conveyances will be added to the Forest Preserve, as
well as the Sellon and Redenbaugh parcels, and open for the public to
enjoy.”

The acquisition was key to negotiations between the State and local
residents: In exchange for relinquishing any rights to the 216
properties, the State promised that it would eventually acquire the land
from OSI for the Adirondack Forest Preserve, with transaction fees paid
for in part by fees to be submitted by the landowners.

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